It's a typical Saturday morning at Reston's Lake Anne Farmers Market, but the sorbet and ice cream being offered by Sinplicity is anything but ordinary.

Plain chocolate and vanilla have made way for artisan frozen concoctions such as Wicked Wasabi , Blackberry Cabernet and Lemon-Ginger Sorbet with Spiced Jamaican Rum. These are just a few of the unique flavors the local ice cream makers offer.

"The Farmers Market at Lake Anne has turned out to be a great market for us," said Leland Atkinson, co-owner of Simplicity. " From the first week, it has been our most successful location."

Sinplicity also sells its wares at farmer's markets in Old Town Alexandria and Falls Church.

Atkinson says farmer's markets are ideal test markets.

" You can make 12 pints of something, and if it sells, you make more. If it doesn't, then you try something else," Atkinson said.

A farmer's market can also be a great source of inspiration. "There are loads of fresh produce at the peak of season, which inspires the people at Sinplicity to turn them into unique flavors.

"That's how we developed our Blackberry Cabernet sorbet," Atkinson said. "Blackberries were in season, so we added a little Cabernet wine to it, and it has turned out to be one of our most popular flavors."

Lake Anne shopper Amy Grenier likes it too.

 "The Blackberry Cabernet is my favorite," she says. "This company offers a lot more imaginative flavors than just the standard vanilla or chocolate. I get a lot of sorbet from the local organic markets, and this tastes even fresher than the sorbet I get there. The flavors pop more."

Atkinson, also a caterer, says his foray into ice cream and sorbet came because 

he was unable to get rid of an antique soft-serve machine.

"We had a gelato machine that we couldn't give away," he said. "It was incredibly heavy. We couldn't move it, so we decided to make some ice cream with it.

Sinplicity uses antibiotic-free milk and cream fresh from select local dairies to make its recipes in its company kitchen in Falls Church. Its small-scale pasteurization methods enable its products to come, as Atkinson says, "from the udder to the spoon."

Notes Atkinson, "Our creations are a marriage of American-style ice creams and Italian gelatos. They are rich and indulgent, yet big-flavored and chewy-dense, with very little air."

Prior to founding Sinplicity, Atkinson apprenticed with Omni Hotels in Atlanta. Later, he won the prestigious Julia Child award for his first cookbook, Cocina! A Hands on Guide to the Techniques of the Southwestern Kitchen.

"I'm a chef by training," says Atkinson. "That's all I've ever done. I started cooking in high school and developed a passion for it. After my apprenticeship, I worked my way around the country for Ritz Carlton and Four Seasons hotels. I also worked part-time in the White House for about 10 years. Then, about seven years ago, I stepped out on my own."

Coming up soon for Sinplicity: Experimenting with beer flavors for the fall. Yes, beer.  Sinplicity has been inspired by Mad Fox Brewing Company, which recently opened in Falls Church.

"They make a chocolate porter beer that's very rich and chocolaty, and a little bitter, which plays nicely with the sugar," he said. "All we need to do is add milk, cream, sugar and eggs, and a little bit of bittersweet chocolate chunks to finish it off.  It's a great combination."